Hawaii Daily News Read

Monday, October 5, 2026

October 5, 2026 News Read

By Andrew Walden @ 10:19 AM :: 161 Views

ACLU: State of Hawaii could use Act 11 ‘corporate personhood’ law to selectively enforce ‘political correctness’

Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted October 2, 2026

400 Flock cameras to be deployed along Hawaii roads

HTH: … The state Department of Law Enforcement has plans to install 75 automatic license plate reader cameras, known as ALPRs, on the Big Island as part of an initiative to deploy about 400 of the cameras statewide.

According to Mike Lambert, the DLE’s chief special investigator, the department hasn’t yet discussed locations for deploying the cameras, but the plan is to use Department of Transportation infrastructure to mount them….

(CLUE: If you don’t say, ‘Flock’, nobody will notice this.)

J: Hawaii Is The Only State Without A Highway Patrol, But That Doesn't Mean You Can't Get Pulled Over

CB: Schatz Pushes AI Oversight As Tech Goes Rogue: 'Humans In Control' - Honolulu Civil Beat

404M: Federal Judge Rules a Flock Search Was ‘Indiscriminate Mass Surveillance’ and Unconstitutional

read … Road cameras to be deployed - Hawaii Tribune-Herald

1,100 Without Permanent Housing 3 Years After Lahaina Fire

MN: … The county selected the contractor BDO to administer the program. Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. will conduct initial eligibility reviews, and Hawaiian Council will provide the navigator team. The three-year contract for BDO to administer the program is approximately $4.5 million, according to the county….

(Another money-spinner for CNHA/Hawaiian Council.)

There were approximately 1,100 open cases when the program transferred from the Federal Emergency Management Agency-funded, state-led Disaster Case Management Program to the county-funded and led Housing Navigator Program, according to the county. This includes all participants remaining in FEMA and state housing programs….

CLUE: Hawaii high court lets lawyers keep $222M from Maui fire settlement

Read … Maui County launches housing navigator program for wildfire survivors as state ends case management : Maui Now

Survey: High cost of living is Hawaiʻi’s most pressing concern

KN: … Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders — dedicated to engaging, equipping and empowering young leaders for Hawaiʻi — recently released its findings from listening sessions and talking story with people on several islands as “FACING OUR FEARS: Listening to Hawaiʻi.”

More than 50 of the nonprofit’s student leaders conducted conversations with 405 residents from January through July in more than 60 communities throughout Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui and Hawaiʻi Island.

Key findings

High cost of living is Hawaiʻi’s most pressing concern, followed by transportation and infrastructure and affordable housing.

Concerns about Hawaiʻi’s direction and their ability to build a future in the islands were remarkably similar among residents of different ages.

Concern was expressed about quality of life and whether strong families, community relationships and the aloha spirit are being strained.

People still think Hawaiʻi can change course. Residents offered community-centered ideas for creating a more caring, connected and resilient Hawaiʻi despite their concerns.

The effort is built around a progression from fear to listening to understanding to action….

SF: A Baby Born In Hawaii Can Expect To Live Almost 8 Years Longer Than One Born In West Virginia. Here Are The Top And Bottom State

read … Facing our fears: New youth-led nonprofit report sheds light on what state residents say about Hawaiʻi’s future : Kauai Now

Honolulu ranks next to last in large U.S airport survey

SA: … Daniel K. Inouye International Airport ranked next to last among large U.S. airports in the latest JD Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study despite Hawaii’s nearly $7 billion airport modernization effort.

Only Philadelphia International Airport ranked lower. Honolulu’s score fell to 604 from 617 a year earlier, while its ranking dropped from 22nd among 27 large airports in 2025 to 23rd among 24 airports in this year’s study. …

“The larger story here is the airport is old,” Taylor said. “The building is holding you back.”…

“We just can’t believe how nice everybody else’s airport is,” Vieira said, noting that many mainland airports offer broader dining options and a more welcoming environment for travelers….

REALITY: Naming Names: Airports Division Ran Late-Night Parties Where Hawaii Politicians Raked In Money

read … Honolulu ranks next to last in large U.S airport survey | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Is OHA's Board In For Another Shakeup?

CB: … the three incumbents running are part of a majority faction of the board led by Chair Kai Kahele in a dispute over how to handle a lawsuit from deposed CEO Stacy Ferreira. Her lawsuit claims the trustees retaliated against her for reporting Kahele to the state ethics commission.

The board plans to announce finalists to replace her on Monday.

The board has also found itself split over whether it should move forward in exploring the acquisition of the television stations KITV and KIKU.

Just one win by a newcomer could be enough to change the outcomes of those and other issues….

Ikaika Anderson came in third in the primary election and has so far outspent the field. Campaign spending reports show he plans to have television ads running soon; he’s the only candidate in the race who appears to have bought such advertisements. Incumbent trustee Souza placed fourth, but performed better than Anderson on neighbor islands….

Anderson termed out of the council office in 2020 and ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2022. Gov. Josh Green picked him to lead the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in 2023 but he failed to get enough support from state senators to win that appointment.

That same year, he was charged with domestic abuse and kidnapping of his then-girlfriend. Prosecutors accused Anderson of refusing to drop her off at the airport causing her to miss her flight, and after parking somewhere, took her phone and elbowed her during a scuffle when she tried to get it back.

A state judge dismissed the case after the girlfriend failed to appear in court on the trial day. Anderson says he was innocent and wants voters to consider his entire record – not just his criminal case….

BACKGROUND: Trask: OHA Trustee Souza 'threatened me with physical violence'

Read … Is OHA's Board In For Another Shakeup? - Honolulu Civil Beat

Ethics: Waters’ taxpayer-funded election-year mailer illegal

SA: … The action comes amid a parallel effort by the city Ethics Commission to address concerns about incumbent Council members using public resources to promote their work shortly before voters head to the polls.

The commission’s interest intensified after Council Chair Tommy Waters issued a taxpayer-funded, four-page mailer in early July, weeks before the Aug. 8 primary election….

Before Wednesday’s meeting, Ma told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the Ethics Commission had been concerned about Waters’ July mailer, which may have “implicated” City Charter Section 11-104, Fair and Equal Treatment, “in which officers and employees shall not use their official position to secure for themselves special treatment, advantage, or privilege beyond what is available to everyone else.”

“So what that means is an incumbent should not be using city resources to help for reelection because (an unelected) person running for office will not be able to use city resources for their campaign,” she said….

In the aftermath, Waters on Sept. 17 introduced Resolution 210, which would add a new Rule 37 to the Council’s rules prohibiting Council members who are candidates for federal, state or local office from using city resources to distribute mass communications during the 60 days immediately preceding an election….

Read … Honolulu City Council mulls curbs on taxpayer-funded election-year mailers | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Two Kaʻū condo communities deserted after Lala damaged private Punaluʻu utility servicing water, sewer

BIN: … after five weeks of no water, Silva, president of the Colony I Association of Apartment Owners, finally left his condo and was staying with a friend in Hilo. Most of the other full-time residents already had left.

The communities electricity also was out after Lala, but it was restored weeks ago. It now has been seven weeks and counting since the units have had drinking water and sewer.

Colin B. Sakumoto, attorney for Punalu‘u Water and Sanitation, said the utility, which is owned by Black Sand Beach, a limited liability corporation whose principal owner and developer is Eva Liu, is hopeful to have the wastewater plant fully operational shortly. But he couldn’t give an exact date.

Restoring the drinking water? That has turned out to be a much bigger challenge and will take many months, he said….

The water system appears to be in financial trouble, according to filings with the state Public Utilities Commission requesting major rate increases.

Sakumoto said building a new well site is not a possible solution.

“The quickest possible route to get a permit to do the drilling is nine months,” he said. “Additionally, it’s like one and a half million just to do the necessary exploration to find the water site. That’s not even counting the drilling.”

For now, Sakumoto said the water utility has begun waiving water bills that were owed for August.

Affected customers have been raising concerns with the Public Utilities Commission about the outages, with the first documented complaint filed Aug. 17, just two days after the storm devastated the Kaʻū District.

Thomas Mizikar wrote he was formally notifying the Consumer Advocate and the Public Utilities Commission of the complete failure of the Punaluʻu Water and Sanitation System….

Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda said on Thursday that the Department of Water Supply has been in contact with the property owner’s representative and they are finalizing the remaining details for approvals to allow the utility temporary service from a county-approved hydrant located in Pāhala, providing drinking water to their customers.

“The requested volume is 15,000-20,000 gallons per week,” Alameda said.

Alameda is hopeful everything will be processed by the end of business day on Friday, adding Punalu‘u Water and Sanitation’s hauler still needs to come in and apply for the temporary service, “but we communicated our consent via email.”

The county also has been involved with Liu over 6.8 acres of land she owns at Black Sand Beach Park, a popular recreation area that county has been leasing for decades. Last month, negotiations for a new lease with Liuʻs Black Sand Beach, LLC, ended without an agreement….

read … Two Kaʻū condo communities deserted after Lala damaged private Punaluʻu utility servicing water, sewer : Big Island Now

Well Reopening Near Red Hill Stirs Up Usual Suspects

CB: … Following a March report by the Environmental Protection Agency that declared the drinking water in the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system “free of fuel contamination since 2022,” the state Department of Health notified the U.S. Navy earlier this month it would grant conditional approval to reopen the ʻAiea-Hālawa Shaft. According to the department, the Navy must continue to meet the state’s standard rules for drinking water quality and notify the department of any additional potential contamination.

The well is one of two federally owned wells that have been closed since the spill in December 2021 and could be reopened at any point. It has been outfitted with a multistep filtration and disinfection system.

The move is a step toward bringing parts of the fractured water system back online nearly five years after fuel from the Navy’s World War II-era facility leaked into Pearl Harbor’s drinking water…

In February 2024, Seto told Civil Beat, DOH contracted with an independent petroleum forensic expert to analyze water from all three Red Hill wells and 12 homes on the base. The testing included chemical fingerprinting and a full-scan analysis using a method used specifically for semivolatile organic compounds to determine whether detected organic material was petroleum-related. DOH determined that the results indicated the water was safe.

Seto added that DOH conditional approval of the former well was based on “extensive testing, treatment, monitoring and other requirements designed to protect the public water system.” …

read … Well Reopening Near Red Hill Stirs Up Lingering Concerns Over Poisoned Plume - Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaiʻi Mormon Population Growing

CB: … Latter-day Saints make up 1 to 2% of the adult population in the United States. But that proportion is more than double in Hawaiʻi – at around 4%, up from 3% in 2014.

Last month, the Pew Research Center released a report titled, “Tradition and Change Among Latter-day Saints in the U.S,” which found that the Church has grown more racially and ethnically diverse: The proportion of Latter-day Saints who are white fell from 85% in 2007 to 72% by 2024. In the same time period, the proportion of Hispanic adults doubled from 6% to 12% and Black membership grew from 2% to 6%.

Read … Hawaiʻi Mormon Population Growing, Diversifying In U.S. - Honolulu Civil Beat

Recktenwald: DOJ Wants to Muzzle Judges Who Speak Out About the Rule of Law

BL: … The Department of Justice’s filing of an ethics complaint against federal judges in Minnesota represents an escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to quell criticism of its actions.

This controversy concerns an interview given by Judge Patrick Schiltz and other federal judges to The New York Times concerning the impact of Operation Metro Surge on the US District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Schiltz highlighted nearly 100 instances in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement had violated orders from the court, including some directing the release of detained individuals. This resulted in a major backlog of cases in federal court and posed “a grave threat to the rule of law,” he said.

In its filing this week, the DOJ claimed that Schiltz and another judge, John Tunheim, violated ethics rules that prohibit federal judges from publicly commenting on matters pending in any court, and that direct them to “act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”…

Recktenwald: How can we keep dark money out of Hawaii politics?

Read … Recktenwald

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